Rumpelstiltskin Jareth
by Jareth7GoblinKing
Summary: An interesting take on the Labyrinth mixed with Rumpelstiltskin.


**This story just kind of came out of nowhere. I was reading Beauty and the Beast versions of the Labyrinth ad started wondering what other type of fairy tale stories could work. **

**I have always been quite fond of reading Rumpelstiltskin. So out of nowhere popped this in my head while watching a Tom Cruise movie. **

**I don't own Labyrinth nor Rumpelstiltskin. This is purely for amusement! So be amused!**

* * *

They were sitting outside their burn down house. Everything they own was now destroyed. Her dad was trying to come up with a plan. He had nothing to provide for his young daughter. She sat next to him outside their still smoldering house pulling at a strain of her long dark brown hair.

"I've got it! We'll tell someone you can spin straw into gold!" he celebrated at his quick thinking. "We'll have them pay us a few coins."

She looked at her father confused. She didn't know how to spin anything especially of all straw into gold. "How is that going to work?"

"Well I'll tell them your powers only work at night and you have to be absolutely alone. I'll of course find you and take you away!" he was amazed at the brilliance of his plan and got up from the side of the street.

She didn't like this one bit. She was about to say something about it but her father had gotten up and had approached their first "customer."

"My lovely daughter here can spin straw into gold!" he bowed down as she approached him. The customer was the heir to a large fortune and lived in the largest castle in the kingdom.

The man looked at her intently. At first she thought he was going to laugh at them but he nodded, "Come with me then."

xxxx

They sat around a table to discuss what was to be done. The man always kept looking at her as her father told her the stipulations of her powers. As her father finished the man nodded, "Very well. I'll have you locked up so you can't run away. And as for your daughter," he looked back at her like he could hardly wait for his large amount of gold, "I'll place her in the tower."

And so they were separated. He pushed her in, "If you don't spin this straw, I'll have it seen that you are beheaded."

She looked around the tower. It was full of straw expect for one location which was taken by the spinning wheel. She walked toward the wheel spinning it carelessly. She plopped down on the small chair. What was she to do? This was impossible.

She put her hands to her face and started to cry knowing she will be dead in the morning. She mumbled, "I wish there was something or someone."

"There is."

She jumped and wiped away her tears. She looked at the strange young man who had suddenly appeared. She was going to ask "Who are you?" but instead asked, "What are you?"

He bowed slightly his dark cape blew faintly in the wind, "A goblin."

She looked at him. He didn't look anything like the goblins people talked about. He wasn't short, wasn't covered in warts, or even anything remotely looking like a goblin. Instead he was tall, thin; he had long blonde hair, and was elegantly dress almost like a king. He was even quite handsome.

He was now looking around the room and kicking the straw with his tall dark boot, "So do you want my help?"

She couldn't believe it; this strange man was offering her help. "You know how to spin straw into gold?"

He chuckled, "I don't know how to _spin,"_ he said it with distaste, "but I can change all of this straw into gold for you. If…"

She knew there had to be a catch. "If what?"

He came closer to her. She noticed his eyes were mismatched. She needed to be careful about this individual. "If you give me something in return."

She backed up. She had nothing except for the straw and what she had on her person. She looked down at her hands. She slowly pulled off her mother's wedding band. "Will this work?" she showed him.

He looked at it and slowly nodded. She felt his cool gloves wrap around her hand as he grabbed the ring. With a simple flick of his wrist her mother's ring was gone and now replaced by crystal. He started twirling it from side to side with ease. After some time the straw was gone and replaced by thin strings of gold.

She looked up at him smiling. "Thank you," she curtsied.

He bowed in returned and disappeared in a cloud of glitter.

In the morning when the servants came to fetch her they were surprised by the large piles of thin stringed gold around the room. They instantly summoned their master. He took her by the hand, "Your powers are quite something! I'm thoroughly impressed. Here is what we agreed upon," he place a few small coins in her other hand, "And to express my full gratitude you shall dine with me and in the evening I'll give you another pile of straw!"

And so it was done. She was treated like the guest of honor. Her hair cleaned and fixed in tight curls. She was dress far more elegantly than she has ever been dressed before. It was quite a wonderful day but then evening came. She was stripped of her elegant dress and placed in a far simpler one and shoved in a bigger room with straw covering it all except for the spot with the spinning wheel.

She was looking out the window. Thinking if she should wish again for the strange man that had helped her but she didn't want to become a burden. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned. It was the strange man. He wasn't wearing as luxurious clothes he did the other night but he was still quite well dressed. He was smiling down at her, "More straw into gold, I see."

She nodded. "I didn't wish for you to come."

"I know. I wanted to see if you were still around. I guess it is lucky that I did. I heard rumors if you don't spin this lot you will be hanged," he was looking out towards the courtyard where a newly built gallows was getting ready for her in the morning, just in case.

She blushed at the thought he cared for her wellbeing. "I have only this small bracelet," she held it out to him. It was from a dear friend that had moved away so long ago. It wasn't much but it was all she had.

He grabbed it and inspected it carefully, "This will do just fine." As before it vanished and was replaced by a crystal. With a few simple hand gestures he started changing the straw into gold. He was done a lot quicker than the night before.

"You juggle that crystal so elegantly," she was transfixed by the flowing movement of his hands. He sat beside her and produced another crystal. He started to move it back and forth she watched it amused.

She was slowly getting tired and fell to sleep in a small ball on the floor beside him. He looked at her and then slowly ran his fingers through her silky brown locks of hair that were still slightly curled.

When she awoke in the morning he was gone. She felt terrible not being able to thank him again for his help. And as before the master of the castle was brought to inspect the large piles of gold, "Very good, today you should be treated as my equal! If you finished the next room we shall wed!"

So she was treated like the mistress of the house. She was far more elegantly dressed as well as her father who was extremely happy for his daughter. Her future husband and him were playing cards most of the day and joking around like old friends. Life was wonderful when the sun was up but as evening approached she was forced into yet another room of straw and spinning wheel in the corner.

She picked up the straw it felt damp and scratchy in her hands. As she heard the door lock the strange man appeared in front of her. He was watching her intently. She looked up at him, "I'm to be married tomorrow if I spin this straw into gold and if I don't I'll be whipped to death."

"So again I have come to help you," he gave a stiff bow. He waited.

She had nothing to give him this time, "Thank you so much for helping me but I fear I have nothing to give you this time."

He stepped closer and tucked a loss curled hair behind her ear, "Then give me your first born child."

She stepped back, "What! No!"

He took a step closer, "Then I'll do it for free." He worked with his back turned to her. She walked away from him disgusted he wanted her first born child!

After a while he was done. She was looking out the window not watching him. He stood next to her with his back against the wall, "I was joking you know."

She looked up at him. Her eyes sparkling in the moonlight, "I'm sorry. I thought you were serious."

He wrapped his arms around her, "No it is I who should apologize, precious one."

She turned towards the night, "Thank you for everything."

He whispered into her ear, "I've done it all for you."

She turned to look at him but he was gone. She fell asleep thinking about the strange man. She realized she never learnt his name.

In the morning it was very much the same. However, she told the master of the house that she used all her powers up and therefore could no longer preform the task any longer. He seemed deeply troubled by learning this but the preparations were already made for the wedding.

Months passed, her father was now happily married to a fine lady and she was soon expecting her first child. She was quite lonely for her husband was never around. She knew he probably didn't even care about her or the child.

It had been fully known when the child, a girl, was born. He took one look at the beautiful baby in disgust and walked away not wanting anything more to do with it or his wife. She knew it would happen. She was never given a choice. She rocked the small girl in silence and then got up to place her in the crib. She looked out the window where her husband was testing out his new torture devise on some thieves.

"He seems to enjoy his torturing and killing devises."

She turned and saw the man standing by the crib with a smile on his face, "She is quite beautiful like her mother."

"If only her father could see that," she sighed watching him.

He came up to her. "I have a plan."

She nodded wanting to know. He sat on the window sill in front of her. "I'll tell him it was I that had given you your powers. However, I tricked you into giving me your first born child."

She looked at him remembering what he had said that last time.

He continued, "He is a gambling man so I give him three days to come up with my name." He disappeared in a cloud of glitter before she was able to say anything.

During dinner with her husband the servants came in quite scared, "Master and Mistress there is a…a goblin here to see you."

She looked at her husband who looked at servant disgusted, "What do I want with a simple goblin?"

The servant started shaking, "He's…he's the Goblin King, sir. He's here for the child."

He stood up angrily, "WHAT!"

In a flash of lightning and crash of thunder, the Goblin King emerged. She stared at him; it was the same strange man but extremely more terrifying. His dark cape flowed behind him. He was clade in all black. With a malicious voice so unlike his tender voice he used with her, "I have come for the child that was promised me!"

He took a step closer to the table. Her husband stood up and tried to be threating, "Who promised you the child?"

The Goblin King gave an evil smirk towards her husband then glided over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, "How else could one have such a wonderful powerful?"

Her husband's vain in his neck was pulsing. The Goblin King walked over to him still smirking, "But I'll be generous. Guess my name. I will come for three days. If you haven't guessed it on the third day the child is mine forever!"

He waved his cape around him and vanished in a sinister cloud.

xxxx

She stayed in her daughter's room that night. No one would bother her. She felt so terrible about the whole thing. She put her hands on her face hiding her tears from her daughter.

"Shhh…there, there," someone was kneeling before her trying to comfort her. She dropped her hands from her face. There was the Goblin King before her. He wasn't threating as he was a few hours ago.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she croaked out.

"Tell you that I'm the Goblin King? You never asked, so I never told," he put his hand up to her face wiping the tears away.

"He's looking for names."

The Goblin King nodded, "I know. He'll have to do good research to find mine."

"But…" she looked over to the crib where her daughter slept peacefully.

"Don't worry, precious, he'll find it," he got up from the floor. "You need sleep. It's going to be a busy day tomorrow."

In the morning during breakfast, he appeared. The servants read from a list of names from Adam to Zack. To each the Goblin King replied no. Afterwards, her husband bowed and left with the servants leaving her alone with the Goblin King. Though he was dressed fiercely when he looked over at her his appearance seemed to change. She saw the faint smile that played on his lips as he bowed deeply down to her.

The next morning came. She was rocking her daughter while her husband was planning a hunting trip when the Goblin King came in. A servant read from a new list of names while again the Goblin King replied no to each. He walked out not realizing that servant had stopped or that even the Goblin King was standing there.

She got up with her daughter in her arms and walked up to the Goblin King when everyone was gone. "He doesn't care."

She walked out leaving the Goblin King alone in the room.

Before the Goblin King was scheduled to appear a servant rushed in to the breakfast room. Her husband was trying to find a way to get more gold from his benefactor. The servant bowed, "I have found his name my good sir and lady. I found it!"

Her husband grumbled out the loudness of the servant. But she turned to the servant smiling, "Tell me how you found it."

"Well I was in the woods gathering some new names for the list for this morning. I heard a strange voice from the thicket of the woods. I crept carefully and saw a brilliant fire. Then I saw him standing in all his furiousness surrounded by his minions of goblins. They were singing a queer tune. Saying:

Dance my goblins Dance! To the magic for I am the Goblin King. Dance Magic Dance. To the magic for I am Jareth the King of the Goblins!"

She tried picturing him dancing around singing around a fire to quite a strange song. "Thank you."

The servant bowed and quickly walked off. The Goblin King was shown in. Her husband did not see that he had entered. She looked at her daughter asleep in her arms. Then look up at the Goblin King who was looking at her with a sad love in his mismatch eyes. They knew there was nothing they could do. She got up and placed the baby in his arms. He took her smiling. She went over to her husband, "He's taking me with him. Do you hear! Jareth the King of the Goblins is taking your wife Sarah, and your daughter Helen away. You'll have no power over us anymore."

"That's nice dear, have fun."

She looked up at Jareth smiling. With his one arm holding Helen, he wrapped his other tight around her. They disappeared from the breakfast room, forever.

No one knew what happened. None of the servants could explain it. They went in with the list their mistress and the baby was gone and sitting at the master's chair in the master's clothes was a plump old goblin counting his gold.


End file.
